Culleoka men sentenced here

Wednesday, August 17, 2011By Karen Hall, Staff Writer

Two Culleoka men were sentenced in Circuit Court last week, and one of them left in handcuffs to begin serving a six-year term.

Trey Green, 30, was found guilty by a jury at a trial in June, but remained free on bond. He was back in front of Judge Robert Crigler on Aug. 3 for sentencing. Green was found guilty of manufacturing marijuana (more than 20 but less than 99 plants), of possession of marijuana with intent to sell (two counts), and of possession of drug paraphernalia. On two counts of possession of marijuana with intent to deliver, the jury found him guilty of the lesser-included charge of simple possession of marijuana.

Crigler sentenced him to six years on the manufacturing charge and two years on each of the possession charges, plus 11 months 29 days in the county jail on the paraphernalia, all to be served at the same time, but after the unexpired portion of a previous sentence. Green must serve at least 30 percent of his time before being eligible for parole. He was also ordered to pay $6,000 in fines.

In August 2002, Green was sentenced to 10 years seven months in two cases where he was charged with sale of cocaine.

He was released from the Tennessee Department of Corrections to "Boot Camp," and then to probation in March 2003.

Due to the arrest in 2009 on the charges that led to this case, Green's probation was violated, but Crigler ordered him transferred to community corrections and extended his sentence by one year. The community corrections officer reported that he successfully completed 100 hours of community service and passed all his drug screens.

Christopher Roberts, 35, also of Culleoka, was scheduled for a jury trial on Aug. 4, but instead opted to plead guilty to one count of statutory rape. This was a reduction from the initial charge of two counts of aggravated statutory rape. Crigler sentenced him to two years of probation, and ordered him to have no contact with the victim or her family.

The victim was 17 years and nine months old when she paid a visit to Roberts at his home on Jan. 6 and the sex acts occurred. According to the statement Roberts gave law enforcement, he and the girl had been exchanging flirtatious text messages for several weeks before she came to his house.

Roberts was also ordered to pay the court costs of $595 within six months. When his attorney, John S. Colley III of Columbia, asked for more time to pay, Crigler refused, stating, "If he can afford you, he can pay the court costs within six months."